How can a thread be considered disruptive when those who are actively involved can walk away anytime they want and those who aren't interested don't have to read or contribute? Who, exactly, does it disrupt?

Capt Alfredo

10-30-2014, 10:11 AM

How can a thread be considered disruptive when those who are actively involved can walk away anytime they want and those who aren't interested don't have to read or contribute? Who, exactly, does it disrupt?

Yeah, we wouldn't want a thread to actually get any traffic, would we. Back to sleep, AFT, back to sleep.

Rusty Jones

10-30-2014, 10:37 AM

I'm not mad. Admittedly, when you've got two people going back and forth who won't back down; sometimes a thread lock is necessary when neither of the two can be the bigger person and walk away. The mods did us a favor in ensuring that we both got of out there with our egos in tact.

sandsjames

10-30-2014, 11:17 AM

I'm not mad. Admittedly, when you've got two people going back and forth who won't back down; sometimes a thread lock is necessary when neither of the two can be the bigger person and walk away. The mods did us a favor in ensuring that we both got of out there with our egos in tact.I'm not really questioning the closing of the thread. Just that it was called "dirsruptive" and I'm trying to figure out who it was disrupting.

TJMAC77SP

10-30-2014, 11:52 AM

When all that is being posted are insults then its time to reign in those posting not closing the thread. Why close a thread? Seems akin to 'one of you screwed up, you are going to be punished".

Absinthe Anecdote

10-30-2014, 02:17 PM

I was only mildly annoyed by the thread closure because Rusty had just called me a Vulcan, and I didn't have time to give my snappy retort.

I was going to explain that my sterling logic makes his knees rattle,
and his fingers pop!

Just like a pinch on the neck from Mr. Spock.

I even had a line about TJMAC, the Flintstone Cop.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Mjölnir

10-31-2014, 05:38 PM

How can a thread be considered disruptive when those who are actively involved can walk away anytime they want and those who aren't interested don't have to read or contribute? Who, exactly, does it disrupt?

At the point that the activity stream is a fairly steady stream of personal back and forth between a couple of users, it may be disruptive, even if the discussion has not spilled over into other threads.

I'm not mad. Admittedly, when you've got two people going back and forth who won't back down;

Which it seems is where that conversation was at. At some point, if the conversation is just a personal back and forth that is trolling for response or insult then the conversation may need to be either brought back closer to the topic or halted.

And Happy Halloween everyone.

Drackore

11-05-2014, 02:06 PM

I'm so glad you got that psychology degree. Makes you a perfect fit to be an internet forum moderator.

Absinthe Anecdote

11-05-2014, 03:20 PM

I'm so glad you got that psychology degree. Makes you a perfect fit to be an internet forum moderator.

I think it is his Gear Scout Bowie Knife that gives him an edge as moderator.

The hardened carbon steel blade and impact resistant polymer handle are perfect for not only survival situations, but great for opening Gear Scout gourmet brand MREs.

Mjölnir

11-05-2014, 03:33 PM

I'm so glad you got that psychology degree. Makes you a perfect fit to be an internet forum moderator.

It probably over qualifies me.

Bourne

11-06-2014, 03:01 PM

When all that is being posted are insults then its time to reign in those posting not closing the thread. Why close a thread? Seems akin to 'one of you screwed up, you are going to be punished".

We always run this risk. We tried this method in early 2013 - We tried identifying the worst offenders of a given personal attack. We tried to re-read threads to see "who started it."

Ultimately, a strategy in which we judge individuals and not threads, will always fail for two reasons:
All the involved parties are usually at least partially to blame either because they started it, or finished it, right?
And because whoever is targeted, we will be viewed as having made the wrong decision by someone.

So, our safest option is to judge the thread.

I'm open to your thoughts to the contrary on this strategy, however.

TJMAC77SP

11-06-2014, 06:52 PM

We always run this risk. We tried this method in early 2013 - We tried identifying the worst offenders of a given personal attack. We tried to re-read threads to see "who started it."

Ultimately, a strategy in which we judge individuals and not threads, will always fail for two reasons:
All the involved parties are usually at least partially to blame either because they started it, or finished it, right?
And because whoever is targeted, we will be viewed as having made the wrong decision by someone.

So, our safest option is to judge the thread.

I'm open to your thoughts to the contrary on this strategy, however.

You don't have to read an entire thread that has descended to the trading of insults to figure out where the problem(s) are. When the posts an any thread with X topic contain only personal insults (usually referring to the sexual proclivities or maladies of the intended target) the math on that is pretty easy. If the target replies in kind he/she becomes part of the problem and the math is equally easy. I, in truth have disagreed with few bans (my own included). The time I called a poster a douche bag and got banned, I understood and accepted that (regardless how accurate my assessment was). If instead that thread had been simply closed that would have been a disservice to all MTF members.

We have a lot of discussions where points are countered and counter-countered. I don't view these as disruptive (of course as someone who is often caught up in those back-and-forths I suppose I have a biased opinion there). To me there is a difference between "you are wrong and this is why....................." and "I suppose you like penises in your butt I don't". Again, simple math.

Drackore

11-08-2014, 03:13 AM

Thoughts on how to do better? Go back to how things worked 2 years ago.

technomage1

11-08-2014, 07:31 AM

Thoughts on how to do better? Go back to how things worked 2 years ago.